Discuss the below:
1 As an African American, we are judge by the color of our skin. My family culture as being African American, we value the importance of family and love for the individual. Respect is huge to my culture and most importantly understanding right from wrong. Having strong ancestors who are still very much respected from being African American, my family continues to allow the men of the family to be the head of the house. The men of the family are to treat woman equally and support them. Religion is also a key factor in our family. We are all Christians who attends a Baptist Church.
It is important for a social worker to understand the culture of a family when having to work a case for them. Understanding the culture will help throughout the case because it makes it easier to take the next step with your case. Respecting the African American Culture will allow the family to cooperate well and you will be able to complete and close out the case.
I believe one of the most important things about my culture is my Christianity. This plays a very important role in any person's culture whether they have a religious belief or no religious belief. For me, i believe a social worker would have to understand that my Christianity drives a lot of mine and my family's actions and values. They might need to understand the fact that our family values a husband as the leader in the home, some cultures and some women specifically see this as bigotry, I see it as a biblical principle. Now, don't get me wrong it is in a two way street type of respectful way, but a social worker who has a very feminist point of view may see this value in a different way, maybe even abusive. This is just one example of how a social worker may need to evaluate their own beliefs to judge whether or not they are just using their own biases or if there is actually a problem going on in the home or situation they are encountering with a family who has high Christian values.
2 Poverty in North Carolina
According to a new report from the Budget & Tax Center, across the state of North Carolina 1.6 million North Carolinians live in poverty. This means that a family of four is living on $24,250 or less a year. According to an article on "Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity", in North
Carolina the child poverty rate is 23.2%, the number of Black and Hispanic children living below 200% poverty is 617,000. The percent of single-parent families with related children that are below poverty is 39%, and the Senior poverty rate is 9.4%.
Current efforts in place to address poverty in North Carolina
North Carolina currently have several federal and state programs to address poverty.
• Food Stamp Program
• Head Start Program
• North Carolina Health Choice for Children
• North Carolina Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP)
• North Carolina Medicaid Program
• Work First Program
Suggest two strategies for enhancing the current antipoverty efforts in your community and explain the rationale behind your suggestions.
One strategy that I think would help to assist in poverty is to raise the minimum wage in our state. The current minimum wage is $7.25, and
I stated before a family of four is having to live off of $24,250 or less a year. This makes it almost impossible to provide the basic needs of your family such as food, clothing and shelter. If the minimum wage was raised it would help to create more jobs and grow the economy. Government programs would potentially be reduced and it would help to reduce the gender and race based income inequality.
Another strategy would be to have more affordable housing in North Carolina. Most homes and apartment complexes want the individual's income to be three to four times the rent. This makes it hard for families living in poverty to find affordable housing to meet their low income. There should also be more low income housing available to people living in poverty. Most families are put on wait list that could be anywhere from six months to a year.
3 "Poverty is a state or condition in which a person or community lacks the financial resources and essentials to enjoy a minimum standard of life and well-being that's considered acceptable in society. Poverty status in the United States is assigned to people that do not meet a certain threshold level set by the Department of Health and Human Services" (Investopedia, 2017) . 4.4% of Morrisville North Carolina Residents do not live above the poverty line (Data USA). Of those residents, the female population who are 35-44 years of age are the ones who are living in poverty the most (Data USA). The second highest ranked individuals who are living below the poverty line are 25-34 year old males (Data USA). Among the Morrisville population Asians are the highest ranking individuals who are living below the poverty line (Data USA). "The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty (Data USA).
"Approximately 34% of all households in Wake County are classified as renters. In order to afford a market rate apartment in Wake County, a household must earn $36,720 annually or $17.65 per hour for a 40-hour work week. There are limited options for those who earn less. The 2010-2015 Consolidated Plan for Wake County shows that there is a need for over 23,000 units of affordable rental housing for low and moderate-income families, those earning less than $31,500/year" (Wake County, pg.7). The N.C Justice and Community Development Center in Raleigh stated that in 2014 the total monthly income to meet basic needs was 4,453 dollars. "According to the North Carolina Housing Coalition, the states most critical housing need is improving housing opportunities for families earning less than 30% of the median income" (Wake County, pg.7).
Work First has several goals lined up to meet the demands of the people who are living below the poverty line. They intend to be sure that 50% of individuals who are capable of working meet the number of hours required of the federal work activities (Wake County, pg. 12). Those who have a two-parent household they are ensuring that 90% of those families who are capable of working meet the numbers of hours required (Wake County, pg.12). There are also shelters in place for those who are homeless such as Urban Ministries of Wake County (Urban Ministries). They offer nutritional services, healthcare, as well as shelter (Urban Ministries).